Why internal comms matter now, more than ever

I’ve been asked to Chair an Annual Internal Communications Conference for public sector practitioners in London this coming week. As I pondered on my opening remarks it became very clear what should be the focus and I wanted to share it more widely.

This week promises to be yet another eventful and momentous phase in our national life. The outcome of this week’s UK General Election is certain to have profound implications for the country and those who work in the public sector, whether directly alongside government or serving the nation’s citizens.

This week comes after four years of unprecedented turbulence and uncertainty which at times has challenged our civic processes. It comes too, after many years during which those in the public sector have faced significant challenges to deliver austerity policies.

One thing we can all be certain of is that whatever the election outcome this week, the pace of change in our personal and public lives is not about to slow down. On the contrary it will only pick up speed. As Justin Trudeau famously said:

The pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again.

We can also be pretty certain that the uncertainty we have learned to live and work with is unlikely to steady any time soon either.

What are the implications of all this for us as internal communicators?

Human beings crave certainty and if we don’t have it we create our own narratives to fill the vacuum.

At times of change and uncertainty the role of internal comms practitioners is more important than ever. It is vital to deliver effective, high quality comms to our people which will engage them emotionally and rationally with our message, vision or task. Whether strategic or tactical, internal comms need to be timely, high quality and relevant with our audience and their needs firmly in mind.

Of that, at least, you can be sure.

For help on this, why not take a look at MACRO?

Jo Moffatt, Managing Director, Woodreed